Sam Long’s preparations for the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice have suffered a minor setback after his specialist bike was delayed in transit as he travelled with his family from their home in Arizona to a training camp in Italy.
The 29-year-old American has swapped the blistering heat of Tucson for two months in the mountainous region of the Julian Alps on the border with Slovenia as he prepares for a shot at winning the season’s showcase event on September 14.
With two IRONMAN 70.3 wins already achieved this season – at Eagleman in June and in Chattanooga in May – he believes a temporary move across to Europe will help him acclimatise to the weather and conditions he can expect in the south of France.
Circuitous route
However, his best-laid plans have hit a snag with his bike taking a more circuitous route to its final destination, and Long needing to find an alternative to maintain his cycling schedule.
Posting a picture of himself in cycling gear on his Instagram account, he revealed that while he continues to wait for his bike to arrive, he has been forced to hire one… which isn’t quite up to the standard that he is used to.
He said: “Still dealing with my bike but at least on a rental… The bike is old school, heavy as 💩, and no power meter. I’m just happy to be back on the bike.
“Today I did hill repeats on perceived exertion level HARD! 16’ and then 3×10’ slight descending. It’s great to see based on time – with a standard start and end point – that I was able to descend the pace. It takes me back to the roots of my beginning riding a bike. Can’t wait to keep working!”
An earlier post explained the issue with the bike as he explained how he thought it had now arrived in Venice, but still needed to be shuttled to where he was staying with his young family.
Italian job
Long is also posting a regular YouTube VLOG charting his preparations for the World Championships, with the first episode explaining why he chose to move out to Italy with fellow endurance athlete wife, Lara, and their two-year-old son, Leo.
“I just want to show you how we, as a family, pack for two months abroad with the toddler in preparation for the IRONMAN World Championships,” he says. “We’re going to Italy, where Lara has family, and we’re going to spend about eight weeks there. That’s where I’m going to do my final preparation for the World Champs in Nice.
“It’s on the border of Slovenia there, so I’ve got very technical hilly riding, I’ve got open water swimming, I’ve got a great 50 metre and 25 metre pool options and some great hilly running as well. Plus, we have Lara’s lovely Nona there, who helps keep me fed with all the Italian goodies.”
Having finished 12th in the World Championships in 2023, Long failed to qualify for the event last year, choosing instead to focus on the T100 Tour rather than pursuing qualification for Kona.
